It's not just Maclean's giving U of W a bad rep
By Hannah Larking
News Editor
November 19, 2008
Maclean’s magazine released their annual university rankings on Nov. 10 and UWindsor wasn’t ranked last—not even second or third last.
No, that wasn’t a typo. In fact, the University of Windsor moved up in its roster a whopping two places from 10th to eighth place.
Despite this favourable outcome, surprisingly—or, maybe not so surprisingly—UWindsor was ranked last in the category of reputation, leaving many of us to wonder: why the bad rap?
According to Neil Gold, provost at the University of Windsor, people just don’t know us well enough to judge. “I’m always confused by these surveys because the students I talk to in general are very happy overall,” Gold said.
So where are all these naysayers hiding? The rankings survey thousands of university officials, high school principals, guidance counsellors, business leaders and business recruiters across the nation—and reputation is given the highest weighting—so why can’t Gold find one on campus?
Just a few weeks earlier, the Globe and Mail released its annual university report which gave our food services a D-grade, the lowest in the roster—but surely our pizza slices can’t be the only thing holding us back. Gold himself, who admitted to having eaten the gamut from banquet foods to quick sandwiches on campus, said he finds the food quite good: “I was shocked to find [that result].”
“It’s been said that we have a reputation of having a bad reputation,” Gold said, and if you take a moment to wrap your brain around that loaded statement, you’ll find he may have a point. The city has been dogged for so many years that people are cringing faster when they hear “Windsor” than Pavlov’s bell.
I’m sure you’ve heard the smack-talk. Over 8,500 people left Windsor last year—and some might say for good reason. Our employment rates are plummeting and our economy—well, let’s not get started on the economy. In light of our current struggle, Windsor has become a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy—stuck in a rut of consistent second-to-last place mentalities that have us writing our own eulogy before the cord’s unplugged.
So, do we just give up? Gold said that the future looked bright last Friday, when the university hosted an open house for prospective students: “When I see visitors, as I did yesterday at the open house, everybody’s really very positive about the university.” But that’s not really a fair appraisal. After all, they were just prospective students. They hadn’t experienced our registration systems which the Globe and Mail gave a C+, let alone lasted long enough to find out about our C+ rated career preparation.
Our last place ranking in reputation might be concerning to some students because these results were compiled before the 17-day long strike that UWindsor endured. What’s going to happen next year when the strike is accounted for? How do you score lower than last?
Gold said he doesn’t think a strike has anything fundamental to do with the way people feel about their university.
“From time to time, faculty groups feel that they have a strong need to be rewarded beyond the amount that the university can afford,” Gold explained. “And they insist on their position and I don’t think that’s a reflection of a bad feeling about the university or a lack of support for it.”
Other, less optimistic people may beg to differ. A strike guarantees media coverage in excess—but not always the good kind. Discord between a faculty union and its university’s administration isn’t often on the checklists of student prospects.
In addition to a poor reputation, the U of W was ranked low in research activity—something Gold attempted to hinder during the strike when he wrote a controversial letter that could have potentially halted research grant submissions. Windsor did not do much better for the number of awards won by students, either.
The University of Windsor is currently in a comprehensive roster, which Maclean’s defines as requiring a significant amount of research activity and a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs. Gold does not think that the new Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry will move UWindsor into the medical and doctoral roster next year.
“The medical school is still the [University of Western Ontario’s] medical school... We have a lot of input into how things are run here ... but we’re here to support that program offered in a particular way in Windsor,” Gold explained. Simon Fraser University took first place in the comprehensive category with Concordia finishing last. A total of 47 universities were divided into three rosters, the last one being for undergraduate institutions. UWindsor was ranked first in budget spent on student services and acquisitions for the library.
As for the accuracy of these rankings, Gold does not think they truly reflect the university. “I think we’re highly competitive ... I think we’re doing well, but again, if you took Maclean’s to heart you would want to find out more about what’s underneath it and try to grasp what changes need to be made.”
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